


Drabbles

by ladycravenheart (Tauria)



Series: monkey tales [1]
Category: Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!
Genre: Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-07-15 00:07:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 5,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16051397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tauria/pseuds/ladycravenheart
Summary: Short works, generally prompted by Anons on Tumblr.





	1. humor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous Asked: Qhsjdgak Imagine a day the Hyperforce is just chilling together, and Sparx makes a unintentional joke to Antauri about being stabbed in the head. Everyone is U N C O N F O R T A B L E, and Sparx is slowly going "ohfuckohfuckOHFUCK", but after a moment Antauri just laughs and goes "haha yeah, good one" and pats him in the back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omfg, Anon. You killed me. This is HILARIOUS. Oh my god.
> 
> Poor Sprx would absolutely be the one to put his foot in his mouth about that. (I’d say Otto too, but… well. Otto doesn’t seem the type to joke about being stabbed in the head.)

"Ugh, feels like I’m being stabbed over and over in the head,” Sprx said, cradling his head in his hands.

”Yes, I hear that’s exceedingly painful,” Antauri said, dryly, somewhere above him and to the left.

It took a second. When it finally clicked in the collective minds of the Hyper Force, Sprx almost melted into the floor due to the sheer  _volume_  of the reaction.

"Antauri!” Gibson’s voice was the highest pitched, because of course it was. “That’s not funny!”

Nova and Otto each looked stricken, and the Kid. Well. The Kid was out with Jinmay, which was probably for the best.

Sprx, however, just peeked through his fingers. “Did someone install a humor chip in that robo-brain of yours? If so, it needs work, and you should get a refund.”

If Sprx didn’t know better, he’d say Antauri pouted at him.


	2. multi-faceted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous Asked: Honestly I just want a fic where Sparx learns why Antauri is like that, not to justify him but to understand him. Maybe the Verans did some real shitty things. Maybe they so called teachings where more strict and harsh that Space originally thought. Is not that Antauri wasn't devoid of all emotions, he was stripped of them..... I just want those two to be in good terms ;_;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to give you a really longer fic, Anon, but with everything else I’m working on I just don’t have the brainpower! I know this drabble probably isn’t everything you wanted, but I hope you like it anyway <3 I may explore this concept in another fic at a later date, though, so don’t think this is the last you’ll see of it!

Sprx had never liked the Varon Mystics. They swore to protect the universe–yet they removed themselves from it. They sat in a pristine hall of crystal while the rest of the universe suffered. But, he couldn’t argue with results. Antauri was one of the better fighters on the team, and definitely a fair bit more knowledgeable than the rest of them.

But he wasn’t… He wasn’t very approachable. He was distant. Too distant, really. Like he’d been stripped of any and all emotion during his time with the Verans. Sprx liked to think of himself as being pretty good at reading people–but Antauri? Hah. His face was too blank. Too perfect.

It only got worse after he became the silver monkey, really.

But at the same time… it also seemed to change, a bit.

The first time Sprx really noticed it was when they bought that pinball machine. (One of the sillier things they had spent credits on, to tell the truth.) Antauri had never touched video games before–unless you were talking about the holo-chess board he and Gibson liked to bring out during free time. But. But, he played that pinball machine–even going so far as to cheat!

After that, it was like Sprx’s eyes had been opened. Antauri was suddenly more present in day to day life. The nuances in his expressions were easier to pick up. Being the silver monkey hadn’t made him harder to read–it made him easier to read.

At first he thought it was because Antauri wasn’t used to his new body. But… then… Sprx wondered.

He wondered. Because, shortly before they lost Antauri, Antauri had discovered some rather… unpleasant truths about his mentor. The one who he had looked up to. The one who taught him almost everything he knew. The one who, likely, taught him how to hide behind a mask–if a metaphorical one, rather than the literal one Verans wore.

The only real way to find out would be to ask him. And, well. Sprx didn’t really think he was ready for that yet. He and Antauri weren’t really… the closest lately. So he wondered, instead.

…and enjoyed getting to see these new facets to his brother.


	3. snark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous Asked: Okay but imagine Chiro, and maybe even Otto asking Sparx to charge their electronics, he does it. But when Gibson makes mention of how one of his machines are running out of power. “Well that sounds like a personal problem, get a charger buddy.” Is the first thing that pops out Sparx’s mouth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m dying, oh my god. He so would. What a little asshole. I love him so much.
> 
> He’d probably charge it eventually, but yeah, he would absolutely bitch more about that then he would helping out Otto and Chiro. 
> 
> …I gotta drabble it.

No one’s really sure when it starts, exactly. Well, that’s not entirely true. The first time anyone can remember is when the Moon Buggy breaks down on Ranger 7, as they’re gathering fuel for the Super Robot.

“Sprx, do you think you could jump it?” Otto asks, peering into the engine.

Sprx glanced up. “Uh. Yeah. Sure.” He hopped out of the buggy and activated his magnets. A jolt of electricity later and they were back underway.

After that, it was like a dam opened. When Chiro’s handheld ran out of charge, he turned the doe eyes on Sprx. Sprx rolled his eyes, but complied with the unspoken request. Otto needed a jolt of electricity for one of his projects, he looked at Sprx, Sprx activated his magnets. Antauri looked droopy after a big fight, Sprx gave him a subtle charge.

Small things, things that he didn’t honestly need to do at all. He didn’t mind, really. It was nice to use his magnets for something good, after the Fire of Hate. A way of reminding himself that his weapons weren’t just good for ripping monkeys apart.

‘Course, that didn’t mean he was going to do _everything_ without complaint. That wasn’t in his nature, after all.

  


“Sprx.”

“It’s the middle of the night, Brainstrain. What do you want?” Sprx grumbled.

Gibson scoffed. “You aren’t even _asleep_.”

Well, no. He wasn’t. If only because these days, closing his eyes was more trouble than it was worth. He’d napped, though. He’d nap again in a few hours. It’d be fine. He’d be fine. Still, though.

“Well, no, but I could’a been.”

Gibson scoffed again, and Sprx was uncomfortably reminded that for all that Gibson spent life with his head buried in science experiments and inventions, he was still observant. Had to be, to be a pilot—and while Sprx was leagues better than he was, Gibson was still a good one. (Not that he would ever admit that aloud.)

“Whaddya need, anyway?” Part of Sprx wanted to call him out for not sleeping, but that would lead to a conversation Sprx really, really didn’t want to have. Not now. Maybe not ever.

“That new weapon of Otto’s sucked up quite a bit of our power reserves.” Gibson sniffed, miffed. “While it certainly produced… results—” by which Gibson meant a big smoking hole in the middle of a Formless army—“it also didn’t leave enough energy left for me to run tests on the new Formless material. I need you to power the machine.”

Sprx, as he always did, said the first thing that popped in his head, “Well, gee, Gibson, that sounds like a personal problem. Get a charger buddy.”

Gibson sputtered.

Sprx grinned, and rolled onto his feet. “Is this the corruptive stuff?” he asked, as he made his way to the door.

Gibson’s sputtering increased in volume for a moment, before the scientist closed his eyes and took a breath. “Yes.”

Sprx nodded. Skeleton King was back to using that Formless goo of his to infect perfectly average people and make them into his goons. Just like with those circus freaks, back when times were simpler. If Gibson could identify what was in the goo, they would be able to scan for it. Maybe even cure it, without having to kick the crap out of them. Probably not, though. The whole thing reeked of magical mumbo-jumbo, and they didn’t have a spellcaster on their team.

Though Gibson _did_ still have that grimoire from the demon-planet.

“Let’s go get it charged, then.”

“Ah. Yes. I… appreciate it.”

Sprx waved his hand. “Whatever. Just make it snappy, a’ight? We got crap to do tomorrow, and if you’re too tired, I’m tellin’ Antauri that you’re pullin’ all-nighters again.”

Gibson made an offended noise that had Sprx grinning again.


	4. breathing easier (midnight conversations)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Outtake from the Midnight Conversations series.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an outtake from the Midnight Conversations series. I decided to cut it and instead have Chiro walk in on the conversation between Sprx and Antauri in Monkey As The Rest of Us. But I think this stands decently well on its own?

Sprx was… different lately. Well—no.  _Different_  was the wrong word. Sprx was… more himself, lately. Since the war started he’d been… angrier. Prone to snapping—and then when he noticed it, he would draw into himself. Do maintenance on his ship (something he had once been content to leave to Otto) or polish his magnets. Go on patrol.  _Something_. Anything he could do to get away from the team, it seemed.

But now he was… more of the jokester he once was. More confident. Self-assured. Bragging about his patrol times and doing tricks in the air again. Almost like normal. He was definitely still withdrawn—people didn’t recover in a night, Chiro knew that, but… he was  _getting_ somewhere, instead of sinking deeper into a rut.

He still hadn’t talked to Nova, still wasn’t truly  _happy_ , but… it was a start.

Antauri was different too. Ever since he’d become the silver monkey, he’d been… withdrawn. Distant. Where once Chiro could sense Antauri nearby, and even get a sense of his feelings… he felt only a vague presence. Antauri had—almost literally—drawn in to himself. There had been a time where he wondered if it was really  _Antauri_  that he had pulled across the veil, while he was hyped up on Power Primate.

But… now he could _feel_ him again. Not much. But there were cracks in the armor—cracks that seemed to grow bigger every day. Antauri wasn’t some vague, barely-there presence; he radiated again. He was a warmth on the edge of Chiro’s consciousness, and sometimes, when he really focused, he could catch snippets of feelings.

There might have been a war on their front step, but he felt like the monkey team was breathing easier for the first time in a very long time.


	5. risky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was risky. An old ritual forgotten even for most Verans.... then again, Xan wasn't "most Verans"....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anon sent me the line used as the summary, and I was immediately inspired to write a fic for it. Basically what Antauri was thinking immediately after/during his sacrifice during I, Chiro.

It was risky. An old ritual forgotten even by most Verans… then again, Xan wasn’t “most Verans.” Something Antauri had always known, though the phrase was particularly cutting now. The ritual had worked–though who knew what the consequences would be. Antauri hadn’t stopped to consider things like “consequences” when he had given himself to the egg; only that the loss of Chiro had to be prevented at all costs. 

It was a miracle it had even worked. One Antauri was grateful for, despite all of the fears he held for his new body. (His new life–if it could be called such, when he did not need to eat or sleep or breathe.)

It would seem that Xan’s knowledge, whatever it had been used for in the end, was just as reliable as Antauri had always thought it to be.


	6. not what he expected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Power Primate talks. It... isn't what Chiro expected. // An anon-inspired drabble from Tumblr.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anon sent me an idea of a post-series thought they'd had:
>
>> srmthfg is the same. But later on (idk, post S4) Chiro ends up tapping into the PP to the point he manages to do something that hasn't been done in so long it's been lost in history and thought not possible: talk to the PP itself. Except instead of this ultra serious ancient acting being. PP is like that sassy bickering in law who's very prickly and can be nagging, blunt while hard to please. Chiro is a little surprised since Antauri always described the PP... differently in terms of -  
> 2 views. Ones that would have painted a much different picture of it’s personality. But Chiro rolls with it since PP, as emotional and unpredictable it can be, is his best ally and unlike Antauri actually dishes out advice that’s easy to understand + very useful. Chiro figures maybe being the CO makes him feel a special bond either way too so he befriends PP. But yeah I’m fond of tropes where the mystical high and mighty being is actually a bit eccentric while still living up to their status.

Chiro sat on the shoulder of the Robot, legs swinging over the side. It was night, the stars shining above Shuggazoom City, almost blotted out completely by the city’s lights. In the distance, he could see ships flying, and vehicles roaming the nightly patrol. Sprx was out there somewhere; flying alongside Flint to make sure they weren’t ambushed.

So far, the night had been quiet.

Chiro hoped it would stay that way.

He knew he should be asleep, but sleep had eluded him. He’d tossed and turned for nearly an hour before giving up. He was plagued with questions. Old questions. Questions that had burdened him since the monkeys had first told him of his “destiny.”

He leaned back against his palms, and looked up at the sky.

“Why me?” He asked. “Who chose me?”

_< I did. Suprisingly, you’ve yet to make me regret it.> _

Chiro jolted, on his feet in an instant. “Who’s there? Who are you?” The voice was familiar–but it wasn’t one he’d heard before. Or at least, not one he could place to anyone he knew.

_< You can hear me? Well, now. That’s… interesting.> _

“Show yourself.” Chiro raised his fists, hyper mode enveloping him with a flash of green light in the darkness.

 _< Now, now, boy. There’s no need for that.> _Just as easily as the power had come, it slipped from his grip–the way it hadn’t since he first started his training.  _< I’m not your enemy. In fact, you could say I’m your greatest ally.> _

“How did you do that?” His heart was racing in his chest. He clenched his jaw. He still had his training. He hadn’t spent hours in the ring against Nova, against Offay, to be stopped by the loss of his power.

 _< Easily.> _Laughter rang through his mind.  _< After all, I gave it to you.> _

Chiro shook his head. “I was born with this power.” That was what Antauri had said. Waking the monkeys had, somehow, awakened it in him–but he had always had it.

_< Well, yes. That’s true. You were born with the power. But you wouldn’t have it if not for me. Everything you do boy, is everything that I am. You speak to the spirit of the Power Primate itself.> _

There was a sense of power, and of pride, ringing through his mind. For a moment, he could feel his Inner Primate swell with the answer, as if in echo. His fingers crackled with the energy.

Chiro shook his head. “That’s not…” Possible. It wasn’t possible. 

 _< Hmph. It is possible. You’re not the first to hear me. Just the first in… a long while. Chosen come and go. Some have more potential than others. It would seem you rank among these few. Count yourself lucky. Many would die for the opportunity you have been given.> _There was something scathing in the voice’s tone now.

Chiro shook his head again. “I don’t understand.”

_< You wouldn’t. This war, between the Dark Ones and me, it has been going on for ages. Both sides have lost much, both in knowledge and in allies. The last Chosen to talk to me was ages ago–long enough that the knowledge has been lost.>_

Chiro furrowed his brow. “Lost?”

_< Yes. If memory serves, the account was preserved in the Mystic Archives. The planet fell to corruption in the fledgling days of the Veran Mystics, when they replaced the last monastic order to serve in my name. It’s a volcanic planet now–the air thick with smoke and ash, and rivers of lava marring the surface. Your Robot couldn’t even enter the atmosphere, let alone reach the Archives. The knowledge is preserved, but inaccessible. And forgotten.> _

“What happens now?” Chiro still wasn’t sure if he believed this… voice in his head. But if there was even a chance it was true…

Well. It would be a major step forward in the fight against Skeleton King. The Archives might be inaccessible–though Otto might have something to say about that–but the thought of there being a treasure trove of knowledge somewhere else… somewhere more easily reached… 

That was intriguing.

But first, he would need more information. Information he could verify with Antauri. 

 _< Well, now. That’s an interesting question, isn’t it? Start with sleep. You have a war to fight. And training to begin. If you can hear me now, there’s no telling what other abilities you might manifest.> _Something like… humor seemed to enter the voice’s words. Chiro wasn’t sure it was a good thing.  _< I, for one, am very intrigued. You might just be the most interesting thing to happen to me in… quite a while.> _

That definitely didn’t sound good. 


	7. timeskip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Antauri and Mandarin return to find two weeks was two years, and everything has changed around them... // Anon inspired drabble from Tumblr.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Anon-inspired prompt! This time, Antauri and Mandarin are investigating the Power Primate, and end up in another realm. Two weeks in that realm ends up being two years in Shuggazoom. They return to find things very... different... (The prompt was in part inspired by MonkeyMindScream's Questionable, which you should go check out.)
>
>> Few of the reasons I liked having older Chiro adopt Clayton's hero look was 1) a tribute to the past heroes of Shugazoom as well as Shugazoom itself. No matter how far away his home gets he wants to represent some connection to it. 2) Clayton's (and the teams) acknowledgment of Chiro growing older. 3) For it to be a big reveal to Antauri and Mandarin. Say they come back but get ambushed by SK forces. They get saved by someone who looks like Captain Shugazoom but are confused because-  
> 2 because Clayton’s an old dude. This guy looks and moves like a much younger guy. Antauri even briefly wonder’s they time traveled to the past. But then they sense something familiar and the figure, who had remained silent until getting them to safety, takes off his helmet to reveal a older Chiro smiling and looking fresh and good (despite the faded scar on his cheek). Giving them a simple “It’s good to have you back Antauri” as a way to acknowledge their shock at how much they’ve missed.

Two weeks had felt like an eternity. Between Mandarin’s incessant griping and Antauri’s own regret at leaving his team behind, time couldn’t have passed slower if it had tried. They were home now. He could see the city in the distance; bright and shining against blue skies.

He knew he was going to have some explaining to do—Sprx in particular would have questions—but he was so relieved to be home he couldn’t quite bring himself to worry.

First things first, though; they needed to get back to their craft. Mandarin was stuck without a jetpack, and Antauri didn’t have the power reserves to fly him all the way back to the city. Luckily, Mandarin had hidden a ship around here somewhere, though Antuari didn’t want to think too hard about the legality of it.

“Blast it!” Mandarin screeched, tail flicking wildly. He had his head stuck in a bush, and when he turned around, there was a leaf stuck in his tuft of a beard. “Your blasted teammates must have found it.”

Antauri crossed his arms. “You assured me that there was no way to track it, and this place is remarkably hidden. Are you certain you didn’t just forget where you left it?”

Mandarin looked ready to throttle him. Not that this was anything new. “Misplace it? Of  _course_ I didn’t—”

Antauri whipped his head around, holding up a hand to hush the orange monkey. For once, Mandarin didn’t push it.

“Something is coming,” he said.

Just as the words left his mouth, a hulking formless stormed into the clearing; dripping ooze and letting out a monstrous screech. Antauri activated his ghost claws; Mandarin’s hands glowed with Power Primate. Both of them tensed for battle.

The Formless lifted one clawed hand and swiped at Antauri. He went phase-mode; the strike sweeping harmlessly through him. Mandarin leaped forward, just as the Formless began to glow with a bright green light… and explode outwards.

Mandarin landed on all fours before…

Antauri frowned. “Captain Shuggazoom?”

Portals could be finicky things. Had they landed in the  _past_ , instead of the future? That would be… bothersome; but perhaps not entirely hopeless…

The lookalike wore white pants and a white shirt with black buttons. His boots were thick, a bit rounded, and black. His gloves and scarf were orange. But most tellingly was the silver helmet, in the shape of Captain Shuggazoom’s, and now the Hyper Force’s, symbol.

The figure raised his hands to his helmet, and with a hissing noise, unfastened it, revealing a head of black hair, and startlingly blue eyes; one of which had a scar going through him.

It wasn’t Captain Shuggazoom at all. Antauri’s legs felt weak. 

“Chiro.”

Chiro smiled. “Hello, Antauri. It’s been a while.” 


	8. learning curve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Antauri struggles to befriend Chiro in the early days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was some discussion on the blog about Chiro being nervous around Antauri when he first came to the Robot. Anon sent in this, and well, I had to write it!
>
>> OH FUCK WAIT now I have scenarios to tie to the "Chiro was afraid of Antauri when he first came to the Robot and it took the longest to get used to him" + "Antauri doesn't wanna be like Xan"; ok , so, it's been a few weeks since Chiro is living with them. He still tries to avoid Antauri, doesn't really pay attention to him, and communication between them is... Bad to say the least. Antauri is like "why this kid is being so hard to deal with" and then Something happens, and the he realizes. He remembers being terrified when he first arrived to the Verans. He remembers how much Xan freaks him out, and how he gave lessons the hard way, and how there was a very strict policy of Not Doing Anything Funny and definitely Not Being Emotional Or Else. He sees Chiro’s terrified expression, the way he avoids to look him in the eye and Antauri is like… Oh fuck nO IM DOING EVERYTHING SO WRONG
> 
> **Warnings:** mentions of emotional abuse, and character not fully understanding that it was emotional abuse yet.

Chiro is avoiding him.

The realization doesn’t come as quickly as it should have, because the teen is… entirely too good at it, to the point that Antauri doesn’t even  _notice_ , but come the realization does. It leaves a sour taste on his tongue. Something that feels an awful lot like  _jealousy_ curdles in his stomach. He tamps it down as hard as he can–it’s unfitting for a student of the Veran order to feel such things.

Yet, when he watches the way his teammates interact with him, he can’t help but feel it, still sitting there.

Sprx has no problem placing a hand on Chiro’s back, without him flinching away or stiffening under the contact. Nova tousles his hair and receives a blinding grin to compliment her own sunny smile. Otto wraps his arms around Chiro’s neck, draped across his back for no reason than because he wanted to. Gibson, even, squeezes Chiro’s shoulder and exchanges fond smiles with him.

Antauri looks away every time, and wonders why it is he can’t have that–that easy affection with him. Of course, such things have been a struggle ever since he finished his training at the Order. It isn’t explicitly disallowed among them, but while he lived there… Well. Everyone always seemed so stiff, so resistant to touch—and Verans being so protective of their true forms…

Well.

Habits were hard to break, particularly ones you had been living with for longer than your memories extended back.

Even without the absence of touch, Chiro avoids any one-on-one time spent with Antauri, and when they speak, even in the presence of the others, he’s fidgety and uncomfortable.

Antauri doesn’t understand what he’s doing wrong.

Gibson tries to assure him– “My research suggests that many teenagers have difficulty connecting to authority figures, particularly those in a parental role. As his primary mentor, you seem to have taken on that role in his eyes. Give him time, Antauri, He’ll come around.” 

The advice was… definitely food for thought, but something was distinctively  _off_  about it.

It wasn’t until he caught Chiro’s eyes one day that he understood why.

There was  _fear_  there.

It was like a punch to the gut. When Chiro fled, some ridiculous excuse on his tongue, Antauri remained there, staring at where the boy had once stood and  _remembered_.

Antauri appreciated the teachings of the Veran Order. They made him stronger, wiser, better. He felt secure, when he wrapped their beliefs around him. It was like invisible armor, keeping him protected. (He had never been more thankful for them than when they lost Mandarin.) However, there was a time when they had filled him with an abject sense of  _fear_.

Master Xan, in particular. His early months there had been strict. Antauri had always enjoyed reading, losing himself in imaginary worlds and people. They brought him a deep sense of pleasure–but Xan had confiscated them. Called them a waste of time, when he could be studying. Reminded him that he wasn’t there for personal enjoyment, but fulfillment. He would find that in the Power Primate, not in fictional universes. His words had been harsh, barbed, and filled Antauri with a sense of dread and shame that had never truly left him.

That had been the first of many instances. Mandarin had seemed to thrive in the rigid aura of the place; falling into place easily, and climbing through their studies with a sort of fervor that was almost terrifying. Ambition had filled him to the core, and Xan could do nothing but praise him–and always, always compare him alongside Antauri.

Antauri had floundered. Struggled. It wasn’t until much later, when he had truly  _connected_ with the spirit of the Power Primate that he found his place there.

And even then, Xan had filled him not with a sense of security or warmth, but with the vicious desire to please for fear of disappointment, and perhaps punishment. Even once he had “earned” his books back, he had never quite been able to lose himself in them again.

The thing about such experiences was they tended to lay a foundation for the rest of your life. While he had little problems with his brothers himself, Mandarin had chafed against them; taking Xan’s relentless teaching style and combining it with his own ambition and ruthlessness. And now, he was doing the same to Chiro.

It was enough to make him take a giant step back.

It caused Gibson to give him worried looks, and Nova to start eyeing him with newly awakened maternal senses. Silent communication was something they had perfected, ages ago. He used to wave them away; to assure them that he was fine. Instead, he withdrew to his chambers and… began to reevaluate.

Every moment was turned over, looking for places where perhaps he had been a bit too much like Xan, or Mandarin. He found far too many for his comfort. Memories of scolding Chiro for finding humorous ways to use his powers made him wince; memories of being harsh with him when he had been a little more distracted than usual made him outright cringe. Chiro deserved better than that.

Antauri had been taught to sever emotion from his decisions. To listen to his instincts, but also follow a path of logic. Detachment. It made him distant from those he loved, carved a crevice between them that was difficult for him to breach–and one that they believed he had carved himself. When he watched Chiro laughing with their teammates, he knew that he didn’t want that for Chiro.

Unfortunately, that left him floundering for what to do next.

So he meditated—and while it wasn’t always the solution to his problems, this time, he found answers. Turning inward, he was wrapped in the embrace of the Power Primate. He had never been able to reach this place on a mental level, like Mandarin, like Xan. Only by embracing what he was feeling could he find it: and that, that was what he needed to teach Chiro to do.

Embrace his feelings, and work through them—not over them.

 _That_ was the kind of teacher he needed to be… because that was the kind of teacher he had needed, once.

Resolved, Antauri joined the team the next day feeling like a new monkey. Things were going to be better. He would make sure of it. 


	9. telepaths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of tiny drabbles about Antauri's hypothetical telepath powers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The various Anon messages that inspired these:
>
>> Antauri- Chiro, it looks like you haven't sleep well last night. Is there anything troubling you? // Chiro, internally,- ohfuckohfuckOHFUCK DON'T THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH HE CREEPS YOU OUT, DON'T THINK ABOUT IT HE IS READING MY MIND OH FUXK HE DOESN'T LIKE SWEARING EITHER IM SI FUCKED SHIT .// Chiro- "hey umm yeah I've gotten go left something in the oven bye". Then he runs like hell, leaving behind a very concerned and confused Antauri. "But we don't even have an oven?"
>
>> "Nova, did Chiro told him something about me? I feel like he is been avoiding me. It was something I said?" // Nova, sweating nervously and not wanting to offend her brother "hahaHAHA NO WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT ITS JUST A PHASE"
>
>> Sparx FINALLY takes pity on him, because at some point it stops being funny and it's just sad how hard Antauri is trying. "Look, don't tell the kiddo I tell you, but he is scared of you because of your mind reading powers. I mean, we are used to it by now, but think of the poor kid". ∆∆ Antauri-..... I CAN DO WHAT NOW?!?!
>
>> Gibson- ' Sparx please, stop that. The joke is funny to some extent. It took us a lot to calm Chiro the first time, now, can you perhaps act like an adult and stop defending this nonsensical claim of yours?'
>
>> Antauri, playing Chess with Gibson and hearing SCREAM to him mentally "GOD THIS IS SO STUPID BUT SPARX TOLD ME TO TRY AND I KNOW NOTHING WILL HAPPEN BUT IF YOU ARE HEARING ME IM GONNA MOVE THE QUEEN TO A7 IF YOU ARE LISTENING YOU GONNA DO SOMETHING" And Antarui, absolutely straight face, is like.... "fuck not again im gonna kill Sparx",
>
>> The moment Sparx stops worriying too much about it the connection is lost and everything is silent again. Thing are good...... but now he has a way to prove the mind reader theory to everyone else..... "Heyyy Gibson..... have you tried to comunicate mentally with Antauri but really, really, like REALLY hard?? "

 

* * *

 

"Chiro, it looks like you didn't sleep well last night. Is there anything troubling you?"

 _Crap, crap, crap. Don't think about how much he creeps you out, don't think about it, is he reading my mind? Oh crap, oh crap._ "Umm... yeah. I left something in the oven, gotta go, bye." 

Chiro darted off, leaving Antauri standing confused behind him. 

“But we don’t even have an oven?”

“Sure we do,” Otto says, as Nova takes off after the kid, dragging Sprx by the tail. “I installed one last week.”

Antuari cocks his head at him, and Otto keeps up his bright smile, knowing that now he’s actually going to have to build and install an oven before Antauri notices.

Hopefully Gibson will keep him distracted.

* * *

 

"Nova, did someone tell Chiro something about me? I feel like he has been avoiding me. Was it something I said?"

Nova laughed, but there was something odd about it. "No, Antauri, why would you say that? It's just a phase." 

“A… phase?”

Nova nodded earnestly. “Yes! A phase. Humans go through them a lot, I’m told. You should ask Gibson about it. He’s the one who’s been reading all those human psychology books.”

Antauri nods slowly, but he still looks perplexed.

Nova pats him on the shoulder. It’s far more awkward than her usual gung-ho forms of affection. “Don’t worry, Antauri, he’ll get over it! Just keep. Making an effort, you know? Otto and I will keep talking to him.”

“I appreciate that, Nova.”

Some way, somehow, Nova is going to find a way to murder Sprx. Or at least stick him on Antauri-comforting duty. 

* * *

 

"Look, Antauri, you can't tell the Kid that I told you... but he's scared of you because of your mind reading powers. I mean, we're used to it by now." Sprx shrugs. "But think of the poor kid."

Antauri blinked. "I can do  _what_ now?" 

”Antauri, you cannot honestly tell me that you can’t mind read,” Sprx says flatly.

“I can’t,” Antauri insists. He had heard from multiple different sources that having a teenager could be stressful, but he was certain that  _this_  was not what they had meant. “It’s just a method of observation.”

Sprx nods slowly. “You should really be telling the kid this, not me. That’s a good route to go, though.”

Antauri blinks at him.

Why is this his life?

Sprx pats Antauri on the shoulder as he walks by him, obviously done with the conversation. “Good talk, ‘Tauri.”

* * *

 

"Gibson--"

"Sprx, please, stop that. The joke is funny to some extent. It took as a lot to calm Chiro the first time, now, can you perhaps act like an adult and stop defending this nonsensical claim of yours?"

“Guys, I swear to you, I’m tellin’ the truth!”

“You must have just said you were hungry and not realized it,” Nova said, patting his arm comfortingly.

Sprx groaned. “I wasn’t that out of it!”

Nova just kept patting his arm, while Gibson looked on reproachfully. 

* * *

 

"Heyyyyy, Gibson... have you ever tried to communicate mentally with Antauri but like, really, really,  _really_ hard?"

“Sprx, what are you on about  _now_?”

“Just do it!” 

Gibson rolled his eyes. “Sure, Sprx,” he said, and then went to get Nova. She was the only one who could stop him from being weird lately. (Yet, every time he saw Antauri, he couldn’t help but think back to what Sprx had said… What would be the harm in trying, after all? Who knew, it might lead to important scientific discoveries!) 

* * *

 

After once again passing by a monkey team member trying to communicate with him telepathically, Antauri couldn't help but go to Sprx.

“Sprx, enough of this. Wasn’t one telepathic bond enough for you? Do you really want the entire team to be connected mentally?”

Sprx blinked, the picture of innocence. “Wouldn’t that help us out on the battlefield, though?” 

Gibson turned to look at Otto and Chiro. “Did you hear that?” he hissed. “It’s  _real_.”

“Unless they’re pranking us,” Otto said, but he sounded doubtful. 

Chiro furrowed his brow. “Sprx makes a good point… I need to get Antauri to teach me…” 

“If Antauri can hear our thoughts, should we really be eavesdropping on him?” Otto asked.

Gibson and Chiro went pale. 

Antauri paused, mid-conversation with Sprx. “We’re not alone.”

“Of course we aren’t, Antauri.” Sprx rolled his eyes. “They’re way too curious now.”

“And who’s fault is that?” Antauri couldn’t help but mutter, petulant. 

* * *

 


	10. new meets old, and old is not happy about it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of drabbles about Mandarin rejoining the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Anon messages that inspired these:
>
>> Actually I Do feel like the Hyperforce was 8000% more efficient under Mandarin's command. But only because he treated them like a special ops force. If he ever learned about how Chiro works with them now he'll be super pissed. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY FINELY TRAINED ARMY??? WHAT DO YOU MEAN DAYS OFF??? ANTAURI HOW DID YOU LET THIS HAPPEN OMG???!!"
>> 
>> Agdjsahajks Mandarín sees Antauri of all people not only encouraging group play and activities but PLAYING WITH THE PINBALL MACHINE HIMSELF and Mandarín just. Can't. He is having a fucking stroke. "Oh, what's next?? You go for a circus ride too?? Shopping??? Why not having some junk food from a fast food chain??? "
>> 
>> "you bought toys??? For the kid?? THE CHOSEN ONE?? THE ULTIME DEFENSE AGAINST EVIL??? AND PAINTED HIS ROOM AND LET HIM HAVE POSTERS OF HIS CHEESY SHOW?!!??"
>> 
>> Oh no. Antauri vs Mandarín playing any kind of board / video games would be the pettiest scenario possible. They are both really sore losers. And they both can use telekinesis. And they both have a tendency to cheating. It's quite a show for the rest of the Hyperforce. (It used to be, too)

"What did you do to my finely trained army?" Mandarin shrieked. "Days off? Antauri, how did you let this happen?"

“It’s good for them, Mandarin.” Antauri sounds slightly more than mildly exasperated. This goes entirely over Mandarin’s head, because that’s Antauri’s normal tone when it comes to him, truthfully. 

“How is the complete lack of efficiency and productivity good for them?” Mandarin looks even more betrayed then the day that they sent him to the HOOP. Which… was saying something, truthfully.

Antauri sighs.

“Uh. Antauri. A little help here?” Chiro calls. Antauri glances back over, where his teammates are currently locked in battle with Mandarin’s newest training mechanism.

Antauri throws Mandarin one last exasperated look before jumping back into the fray. 

* * *

Mandarin stared at Antauri, whom he had always pegged as a beacon of reason and rationality not only playing with a pinball machine... but  _cheating_ at it. He dragged his hands down his face. "Oh, what's next?" He groaned. "You go for a circus ride? Shopping? What not have some junk food?"

“Um… about that…”

“I’m disowning all of you.”

“No you’re not. You literally couldn’t keep your nose out of our business if we PAID you to,” Sprx says with a scowl.

* * *

 

"You bought toys? For the  _Chosen One_? The ultimate defense against evil? Are those--Did you paint his room?! And put  _posters_ up?"

“Well, that is typically what you do when you have a kid,” Sprx says flatly, a smirk curling on the edges of his muzzle.

 _I’m so glad he wasn’t around when I joined the Hyper Force,_ Chiro thinks fervently, ready step in should the volatile orange monkey throw himself at Sprx.

Otto tilts his head. “Sprx’s gotta point, Mandarin,” he says.

Mandarin splutters. “What is wrong with all of you?!”

* * *

The first time Chiro sees Antauri and Mandarin going head to head over a chess game, he’s just like… “Should we intervene?”

But Sprx just shakes his head and says, “Nah. Just watch. Otto, you got the popcorn?”

Chiro’s brow furrows. “…popcorn?” 

“Oh, yeah, Kid. You’re in for a show!” 

“But… are you sure they aren’t going to kill each other?” 

“Eh, if it gets to that point, we’ll intervene. Otherwise…” Sprx shrugs. 

 


	11. height difference

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chiro gets taller. Sprx uses this to his advantage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> > Older Chiro: I could easily see Sprx lazing on Chiro's back/shoulders while everyone else is walking. Chiro ignores him because he's good natured like that (and knows Sprx would notice on his own if Chiro was getting too tired carrying him). Nova however gets annoyed when Sprx starts teasing her (how's the view from down there?) and knowing she can't hit him from down there. She always proves him wrong by jumping up and smacking him to the ground (while sometimes taking up position on Chiro, or letting Otto jump up there so Sprx has to walk again).

Sprx lounged on Chiro’s shoulders, looking for all the world like there was nowhere he’d rather be. He could feel Gibson’s glare digging into him somewhere behind him, which only made him smirk more. The kid finally hitting that growth spurt was the best thing that had ever happened to them. He was still pretty lanky, but not quite as much as he was, and his shoulders made a perfect perch.

Sprx flicked his tail idly, and glanced down at Nova. His smirked turned into a mischievous grin.

“Hey, Nohvs, what’s the weather like down there?” He drawled. “Sure it’s not too cold for ya?” Hah, that was a science joke! Gibson ought to be proud. He was probably facepalming instead, though, which. Alright. Fair. But Sprx knew what the consequences were.

Nova sent him a glare before her expression morphed as well. Her hand came up to wrap around his tail, and Sprx had one moment to think, “ _oh, shit_ ” before he was rudely yanked off of Chiro’s shoulders to collapse on his back. The wind rushed out of his lungs, and when he finally managed to sit up again, he found Nova sitting on his perch instead.

She gave him the smuggest look he’d ever seen on her face. “It was a little cold down there, actually. Much warmer up here.”


End file.
